The Money Fight: Public health vs the economy

It’s a discussion we’re hearing on repeat: do we save lives, or save the economy? For some, COVID-19 is the ultimate choice between two ‘must haves’.  But is it really? Professor Richard Holden explains why he joined economists from across the globe to explain to us the false dichotomy of public health versus the economy.  We’ll cover everything from game theory to social equalisers to the issue of whether economists are really the cold and calculating types they’re sometimes made out to be.

Useful Links

• Open letter from 265 Australian economists: don't sacrifice health for the economy The Conversation
• As bad as the Great Depression: top economist's warning on coronavirus impact Matthew Knot
• Provide incentives for using the tracing app Richard Holden & Joshua Gans
• Vital signs: A lesson from game theory the coronavirus contrarians ignore Richard Holden